Forbes names Covenant Health one of ‘America’s Best Employers’

Posted on May 25, 2017

Covenant Health has again been named one of “America’s Best Employers” by Forbes magazine and is the highest-ranking Tennessee organization to receive the designation this year. Only seven Tennessee firms made the list of 500 top large companies.

Covenant Health was ranked 38th on the list this year, the health system’s second year to be ranked as one of America’s Best Employers by the national business publication. The 2017 lists include the best large and midsize companies in the U.S.

Companies and organizations in the top 38 along with Covenant Health included such major institutions as Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Costco, Facebook, Sandia National Laboratories, Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Duke University, Publix, Michelin, Southwest Airlines and NASA. Covenant Health was listed 10th among hospitals and healthcare organizations and is the only East Tennessee healthcare entity selected in 2017.

“Covenant Health is proud to receive the Forbes designation for the second year in a row and to be included in such a prestigious list of national and international companies and organizations,” Covenant Health President and CEO Jim VanderSteeg said. “Our employees make a commitment to support our health system’s pledge of excellence, which includes putting our patients first, excellence in everything we do, and making Covenant Health the first and best choice. This commitment creates a workplace environment that instills pride among all of us at Covenant Health.

“Our employees are essential to our health system’s success and to accomplishing our mission of improving the quality of life in our communities,” he added. “I am grateful for their expertise and dedication and for the compassionate care they give our patients every day.”

Forbes partnered with statistics firm Statista to compile data from a survey of more than 30,000 U.S. employees, 84 percent of whom work full-time. Employees were contacted anonymously online without the involvement of their employers, and respondents represented the U.S. workforce by gender, age, region, education and ethnicity. According to Forbes, the direct score which determines placement and title as a top employer is derived from the question: “How likely are you to recommend your employer on a scale of 0-10?”

“We have some of the best and brightest healthcare professionals at Covenant Health, and we celebrate individual and team performance and shared best practices throughout our system,” said Debi Welch, senior vice president of human resources. “We have a strategic focus on attracting top talent and providing professional development opportunities, beginning with new team members and throughout our employees’ careers. These opportunities help create an outstanding work environment at Covenant Health.”